Originally Posted by
ArchaicArcane
What I meant by "right" is a balanced stitch at 9 or 0, which would mean that in essentially all other spots it would be unusable.
D'oh! I just saw this. Thanks -- that explains it. (Another d'oh! would be too many but that's how I feel)
Originally Posted by
minstrel
I've been really frustrated with one of my Featherweights. My tension has to be set between 8-9 to have stitches come out decently (not perfect, but livable), and when pulling my fabric out after it's sewn in order to cut threads, it's extremely hard, and bends the needle. I have the book/DVD set that shows how to clean and repair it, and it's all nice and clean and oiled, but this tension thing is driving me nuts. I'm going to go through this thread and try some of the suggestions to see if the answer is here. I know there are a few things I haven't tried. Thanks all for sharing!
It sounds like you have two things going on. First is that your tension release pin may be stuck and that's why it's not releasing when you raise the presser foot. Check out this blog post where Elizabeth has clearly labelled the tension release pin.
http://mysewingmachineobsession.blog...-assembly.html
Put some oil on that spot and work it in. On my featherweight the pin is smaller and harder to see, but it's there. Maybe you'll need a safety pin to remove any gunk around it. Elizabeth has another post where she removes the tension assembly in one piece by loosening the set screw. If cleaning doesn't work you might try that.
The other issue --- If your tension is properly assembled and clean, then maybe you just need to loosen it as Tammi explains above. Push the ring in and turn the knob to the left (I think it's left) a quarter turn or so, then try again. Keep on tweaking until it's where you want it to be.